


The Rise and Fall of Virgil Sanders

by NepetaLeijon27



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Magical Boys, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, relationship can also be read as romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 15:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15560952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NepetaLeijon27/pseuds/NepetaLeijon27
Summary: A very short, angsty story that initally was two different oneshots before I realized these go together really well. Hence why the chapter styles are different. Chapter 2 was for an angst prompt contest.





	1. Conturbatio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter names refer to songs. For a better reading experience, select and search the names and listen to the first video given.

Anxiety felt like his body collapsed when he awoke that morning. And while he knew that wasn’t true, he still felt tired and stressed. Full of disgust, Anxiety looked at himself in the mirror. He breathed on the mirror and touched the moisture his breath left on it for a second.

‘Anxiety, kiddo?’

Patton.

Anxiety mumbled he was feeling ill, and then heard Patton’s steps nearing his room.

‘I’m feeling nauseous.’

Patton sat on Anxiety’s bed.

‘You’re not ill.’, Patton assured him.

‘There’s nothing wrong with Thomas today.’

‘I still feel like it.’

‘Okay, okay, I’ll tell them.’

Anxiety nodded. For now, he didn’t need any of them. Why didn’t they know of their fate, he asked himself.

‘In that case, just stay in bed. I’ll come back now and then.’

Anxiety yawned and Patton went back. He heard Patton’s voice in the common room.

They all called him Anxiety. Thomas’ subconscious hadn’t come up with a name yet. Unaware, he had just called him by what he embodied. He had left a mark on him he’d never get rid of. Some like him wanted a different name once they transformed into their magical form. All to prolong the cliche trope, he knew. Anxiety mumbled his own name, no - moniker, more often than he could count. It was just as strange as this body he was in, which told him it’d never grow old in this form. He resolutely shook his head. Why _wouldn’t_ your name change if you’d turn into a monster?

So, it was like that! He looked into the shimmering light purple of the gem in the silver ring that adorned his left hand’s middle finger. He kept it close to his chest.

At first, you’d notice that your life now is not what you expected. Then, you’d regret your wish. And then, after that, you’d fall into despair and finally fulfill your destiny as a witch. The worst thing was - you couldn’t stop it. Just like your name - in Anxiety’s case, moniker -  you were tied to it.

He looked up at the starry sky and absentmindedly connected the stars with his finger. At first, they were just letters, but then, the more he changed them, something came into being. A name. Like it wasn’t himself who made it up, but the stars did.

Virgil.

He spoke it out loud. ‘Virgil.’ It sounded good. With such a name he could enter a barrier on his own. He straightened his back and curled his arms around his knees. He felt his artificial heart beating, in sync with Thomas’. Inside that Soul Gem, everything behaved like normal. You could change your name, but not your fate. And as a witch, you’d get a different name either way. Very weak he would become, he decided, but not transform fully. Almost. Then, all the others would suddenly care about him. Do anything for him. But he also knew this day was not that day.

He heard someone opening his door.

‘Anxiety?’

Patton.

‘It's Virgil.’

 

~~Daphnis, the chalice witch. Her nature is self-deprecation~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, what is that end thing, I wonder?


	2. Decretum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter names refer to songs. For a better reading experience, select and search the names and listen to the first video given.

Virgil was on his own, reading a book when Patton knocked. ‘Come in.’ He looked up from his book when Patton entered his room. ‘Hey, kiddo, did you know what happened to Roman today?’ A smile bigger than the northern hemisphere was plastered on his face. ‘Eh? Tell me.’ Virgil mumbled, only half interested in what Patton wanted to tell.

‘Well…’ Patton sat down on one of the pillows. ‘He was taking up painting. Not the standard landscapy stuff, but y’know, more abstract. And after a few hours he asked me and Logan for our opinion and it turned out Roman hadn’t been painting an entire canvas. No, it was like this huge single red dot. That was it. Just that dot. And Logan of course started asking if that was all he was doing in the past few hours. And Roman was like: ‘No, I didn’t.’ And then-’ Patton kept on blabbering until he saw that Virgil wasn’t really paying attention. 

‘Kiddo?’ he asked. ‘Hm?’ ‘Did you hear any of what I was saying?’ Patton was not planning on getting strict about such a tiny thing, but he was still mildly irritated. ‘Half of it, to be honest.’ Patton tilted his head. He was losing hope a bit. ‘Just say no if you don’t want to, Patton. But eh.... Do you bother to show the current state of your Soul Gem?’ 

Patton shrugged and put his book down before taking the ring off. A mark was visible on his left middle finger, suggesting it hadn’t been taken off for a long time. It transformed into the true form of Patton’s Soul Gem, which now had the color of dirty gold. Virgil’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing the dark, murky colors. He hadn’t seen this color in Patton’s Soul Gem before. ‘You know this isn’t good, Patton.’ When after a few seconds, Patton still didn’t respond, Virgil took up the lead once again. 

‘You know why this is? It’s because you guys are too lazy to actually go out and kill a witch! We’re spending time doing crap instead of things we can actually benefit from! I don’t know why we’re doing this, go figure! I have been asking you to tag along when I wanted to go find one and kill one. No, no one wants to.’ Virgil lashed out, making gestures. ‘But you said a few days ago that-’ 

‘Yes, I said you were a good guy. And I mean that. You’re Morality. Supposed to be the sense for good and evil. But recently, you’ve been getting caught up in the things the others were doing and the general sphere is that of ‘Let’s do other things instead of actively keeping track of our Soul Gem’.’ Virgil explained. ‘That is true, I guess.’ 

Virgil knew. He knew that the chance existed that they would both become witches, and he decided he didn’t want to know what the current state of matters was with Logan and Roman, let alone Thomas himself. ‘Patton, I know what will happen. Don’t tell this to the others, I swear. I trust you this important bit of information.’ He finally rose up from his couch and held Patton’s arms closely to his chest.

‘Uh...okay?’ Through Patton’s head, various questions went loose, but he decided to wait and see for a moment. It was Virgil, after all. ‘So, basically...if this persists...we will become what we’re fighting.’ Virgil sighed. ‘Eh? You mean that we’ll become...witches?’ he asked, but deep inside, he already knew the answer. ‘And that means...? Why? And how is that possible?’ 

Virgil sat down once again. 

‘Because the name of Soul Gem is literal. They’re holding our Souls.’ ‘I...I need to take some time, Virgil.’ Patton’s eyes darted to the door. ‘Wait. Want to go hunting this afternoon? It’s the only thing we can do. If we just continue this, we are guaranteed to die. But if we go hunting, we might stand a chance.’ Virgil looked up, his eyes glowing with faint hope. Patton paused once again, and then answered, barely audible: ‘...Yeah.’

That was a bad idea, so it turned out. The streets were filled with screaming people holding up signs. People were shouting about black lives that mattered. ‘What’s happening over here?’ Patton asked through the mess. ‘Oh, I’ve seen ads about this in the newspaper. About an anti-Trump march. I only forgot it would happen today.’ Virgil grabbed his head in frustration. ‘Well, normally I would not mind this, maybe even support this. But this is of course not going to help us find any wi-’ Patton tried to end his sentence, only to be cut off by a sharp pain in his abdomen. ‘Aargh!’ ‘Patton? Oh no. We need to get to somewhere quiet fast. We can’t have you witching out in such a huge crowd.’ Honestly, Virgil thought, Patton Witching out wasn’t a good thing either way. He picked Patton up, bridal style, and ran into a backstreet. 

‘Everything alright? No, that’s a silly question…’ Virgil knelt down, still carrying Patton in his arms. ‘You know what?’ Patton looked up. ‘Tell me.’ ‘I am.’ ‘But...but...you’re…’ ‘I wished for one simple thing.’, Patton swallowed. ‘I...just wanted to see you laugh. To see you smile. To let you know you belong.’ Virgil gasped, wanting to say something back. His mind searched for something, but didn’t find it.

‘And? I got it. Virgil, I got it. And that’s all that matters.’ 

Patton closed his eyes as his Soul Gem cracked. Virgil screamed.

* * *

‘What are you doing?’ An incubator sat on the wall, looking down on Virgil who held the Grief Seed of his best friend in his hands. ‘Nothing of your business.’ Virgil shook his head. There was no way in this world the incubator would understand this. ‘You will never know.’, he mumbled. ‘Because you don’t know what feelings are. However, what you did do, was granting my wish. I did get some space for myself. And I know I’ll get it once again soon.’ He clenched the Grief Seed and remembered Patton’s wish. Virgil slowly started laughing. Purely out of misery. Darkness took over his Soul Gem, but it didn’t matter. Patton got his wish. 

 

When he transformed, he was still laughing.    
  



End file.
